Every day I come across dozens of inspiring photos and videos of travellers making their way across the province, happily ticking items off their bucket list one by one. From kayaking with whales, to eating chunks of glacial ice, to seeing the odd moose or two, in Newfoundland & Labrador, it’s pretty easy to check off a multitude of once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

The next day Sunday, July 14 we headed for St. Anthony were we had booked with the Northland Discovery Boat Tour (http://www.discovernorthland.com/) . Since we had a 1:00 pm sailing, we decided to see the Grenfell Interpretation Centre (www.grenfell-properties.com) which is close to the boat tour wharf. The Grenfell Interpretation Centre tells the amazing story of Dr. Grenfell and his selfless devotion to the health care and general wellbeing of the people of southern Labrador and the Northern Peninsula.

We recently took my brother and his wife on a tour of the Northern Peninsula and their goals were seeing moose, whales and icebergs and we scored 100% on all counts. Bruce and Mary Ellen had been here over 20 years ago and at that time they had their 3 young children in tow which meant that most of our activities were close to our home in Corner Brook. We headed north on highway 430 (the Viking Trail) on Saturday, July 13 and made a stop at the scenic Arches before having a picnic lunch at Flowers Cove.

I wouldn’t call myself a kayaker. I prefer paddling a canoe, even if I do have to portage now and then. But I also wouldn’t consider myself a canoe snob either. Any soft-path vessel is fine by me as long as it gets me into a wilderness area.

If you recall, our last stop was in North West River. Although we had tentatively planned to leave there mid day, I often lose sight of time when I follow my nose so it was dusk when we bid farewell to this region and hit that long long (albeit relatively new) road to Cartwright. Did I say that road was long? I should have known we wouldn’t get there before midnight.

“You know most of my clients are novice snowmobilers. I would say that at least 60% have never driven a sled before so we spend the first 15-20 minutes of a tour showing them how to steer and stop a snowmobile as well as the basic hand signals. I have had people this year from England, Ireland and even Pakistan but most of my clients come from the East Coast of the province.” Darren told us recently over the phone.

A place inhabited by unique and fascinating people is bound to attract folks with a similar penchant for individuality. Folks like Bernie and his mule Polly. While I was in Elliston, at the Roots, Rants and Roars Festival, I ran into Bernie – a man who exuded a one-of-a-kind personality and a distinct sense of adventure.

Sea kayaking, whale watching, larger-than-life icebergs, amazing nightlife, and incredible food. These are things that I associate with St. John’s and one can experience all of them here in one day. As of June 2012, I added a new St. John’s experience to that list: ziplining.

What a great afternoon ! The sun was out, the sky was blue and we were going zip lining at Marble Mountain. We met our guides Reg Flynn and Daniel Kean at the Marble Zip Tours (MZT) office (conveniently located at the base of Marble) for the 2 pm tour. We had enjoyed zip lining with MZT previously but had not experienced their newest zip line which brings you back to the base of Marble Mountain via their longest and fastest zip line yet!

Dog sledding was more exercise and more challenging than we originally thought. It was also a whole lot of fun! Elaine Pinard (owner of Les Skis Doux) has been taking people dog sledding for the past six winters from her base in Wiltondale at the entrance to Gros Morne National Park.

Up until this summer, I didn’t even know it was possible to go rafting in Grand Falls.

Growing up in St. Alban’s, Grand Falls was the place to go when I needed to do some shopping. Home to Salmon Festival and the old Animal Land. And then Adventure Central Newfoundland sent me there this summer to do some exploring, and I changed my mind. I had one of the best meals I’ve ever had at 48 High, and met some fantastic people will exploring the Salmonid Interpretation Center.

Fall is at its peak in Western Newfoundland right now (from the end of September to mid-October) and there are several great reasons to make the trek in this direction from anywhere in the Atlantic region.